Beautiful, thick, shiny and healthy hair always leaves a good impression and helps to raise the confidence of an individual. Both men and women, might get upset, if the hair loss increases, and then rush to find the different solutions to their problems. So why not follow the rule of “preventions better than cure”, means why not protect our hair before it gets damaged to the extent that it starts falling.
How zinc is important for hair?
It plays a role in cell division,wound healing, cellgrowth, and the breakdown of carbohydrates. Zinc is that metal which is needed in the various processes going on in the body like cell division, cell growth and also healing. It also helps in the breakdown of carbohydrates. It is needed by more than 300 enzymes in our body to work properly.
Thus, in the absence of zinc, carbohydrates, protein and even fat metabolism won’t work properly. And we all know protein is the most important requirement for hair growth. Hair, skin, and bones contribute about 70 percent of the zinc content found in the body. But the problem is the body cannot store zinc, hence it should be taken daily in the form of food that we take. Therefore, it is very important for us to intake zinc daily so that it is present in a sufficient amount in the body.
Hair needs Zinc not only for growing but also if it is absent the hair follicles in which the hair roots are located will not work properly. Collagen and Keratin protein is an important constituent of hair, but these cannot be formed without zinc, hence inhibits hair growth. Thus, zinc is there responsible for thin hair and it is this zinc for hair loss.
How to identify the deficiency of Zinc in the body?
Zinc is also important for the proper functioning of hormones, like thyroid, sex hormones, growth hormones, and insulin. But the modern diet which we take in lacks enough zinc content. Some of the symptoms which are visible in the case of zinc deficiency are-
- Wounds might take a longer time to heal
- Acne, skin fungi, eczema might occur
- White spots appear on nails, which also becomes brittle
- Hair also becomes thin and start falling
- The skin becomes dry and flaky.
Zinc and hair loss
It ensures the health of hair follicles and scalp. Zinc helps in protecting the hair roots if zinc is missing it might affect the immune system of the body, therefore attacking the sensitive hair which leads to hair loss
Male hormone (testosterone) and its product dihydrotestosterone (DHT) are also responsible for hair loss, if the body is given enough zinc, the body automatically converts testosterone to DHT which protects hair.
Ways to fight zinc deficiency:
Many days today food supplements that we might miss containing zinc content, thus by taking them we can fight zinc deficiency. These include oysters, muscle meat, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, cashews, chickpeas. Dairy products like cheese, yogurt, cheddar cheese, etc.
So have a balanced diet that contains all the essential nutrients, and take enough zinc to avoid hair loss and ensure good health of your hair, bone, and skin.
